Técnica de relajación vs fármaco de síntesis en el tratamiento de la ansiedad del paciente oncológico: estudio del metabolismo cerebral mediante PET con 18F-fluorodesoxiglucosa (FDG).

Abstract

Natural therapies (NT) are growing in occidental society and especially in cancer patients. Cancer is one of the main health problems in western countries. When there is a diagnosis or suspicion of cancer, performing diagnostic imaging studies has an important role in the clinical activity and may have an elevated psychological impact. This doctoral thesis has two purpose. The first one is to evaluate the level of anxiety in oncology patients during the performance of a nuclear medicine study (PET-CT) in a Nuclear Medicine Service, by means of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The second is address to evaluate changes in brain glucose metabolism induced by Progressive Relaxation (PR) in patients under a stressing state generated by a diagnostic medical intervention. PR is a non-pharmacological method to reduce anxiety. The aim of the method is to reduce mental stress and associated mental processes by means of progressive suppression of muscle tension. The effect of PR was compared to a dose of sublingual diazepam, with the prediction that both interventions would be associated with a reduction in brain metabolism.

Date of Award	3 Jul 2014
Original language	Spanish
Supervisor	Alejandro Fernández León (Director)